Public comment on proposed Swan Valley Neighborhood Plan closes on Aug. 31
Community members of western Montana’s Swan Valley are deciding what the future of the recreation destination should look like.
Aug 29, 2025•1 min
Montana News
Statewide news from Montana Public Radio
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Episodes
State considers new women's prison, expands overflow facility
Gov. Greg Gianforte toured a correctional facility in Boulder Tuesday that serves as overflow space for the Women's Prison. State Corrections director Brian Gootkin says the Riverside facility is helping to ease backlogs, but a new women's prison is still needed.
Aug 28, 2025•1 min
New standardized tests present new challenges for Montana teachers
Last school year, the state implemented a new standardized test designed to make sure students are meeting state and federal requirements. But teachers say the rollout has been a mess.
Aug 28, 2025•2 min
Montana broadband plan looks to satellite internet to fill service gaps
A federal program launched in 2021 offered billions of dollars for states to improve internet access. The funding was supposed to bring high-speed fiber optic service to rural areas. But companies using other technology, like satellites, won most of the locations.
Aug 28, 2025•2 min
How did Montana get its strange shape?
Montana’s frontier days were stuffed with gold, greed and political corruption — and all three played a part in drawing the state’s western boundary with Idaho. A listener wants to know how that squiggly line came to be. Find out now on The Big Why.
Aug 28, 2025•9 min
Forecasters warn of heavy rainfall, flash flood risk in parts of western Montana
Weather forecasters say chances are increasing for excessive rainfall in parts of western Montana this week, bringing the threat of flash flooding.
Aug 27, 2025•1 min
Volunteers map Missoula's 'heat islands' as climate continues to warm
Temperatures can vary widely across a city, even in the same neighborhood. As the climate heats up, volunteers in Missoula are mapping hot spots in their community.
Aug 26, 2025•2 min
Faced with crumbling schools, Helena voters will decide on $283 million bond
Helena voters next month will decide the fate of a more than quarter-billion-dollar public school bond. District officials say their buildings are crumbling, and without new facilities or major improvements, students and teachers could be forced to make painful compromises. Helena Independent Record education reporter Sonny Tapia has been following the story and joined MTPR’s Austin Amestoy with more.
Aug 26, 2025•6 min
Southeast Montana wind energy project draws pushback
A wind energy development project in southeast Montana is facing pushback from neighbors. At the same time, the Trump administration is pushing for further investment into gas and oil energy. Montana Free Press' Tom Lutey joined Elinor Smith to explain.
Aug 26, 2025•5 min
On mossy ledges behind roaring waterfalls, black swifts find refuge – for now
As the song says, “don’t go chasing waterfalls” — unless you’re a research team looking for an elusive bird that only nests in the “splash zone.” MTPR’s Ellis Juhlin recently joined one such group on a scouting trip.
Aug 21, 2025•4 min
What's a wolf worth - Extra
State wildlife officials will take up a proposal Thursday to overhaul hunting regulations in order to reduce wolf numbers statewide. But locals near Yellowstone National Park say the proposal would impact the region’s vulnerable wolf population and the economy built around it.
Aug 20, 2025•15 min
Deadline for businesses to apply for child care grants nears
State economists say a lack of affordable child care has sidelined tens of thousands of parents from full-time work over the past few years. A grant program for employers is aimed at helping solve that problem.
Aug 19, 2025•2 min
Efforts to reduce waste at the Western Montana Fair are paying off
Summertime at the county fair means rides, farm animals and lots of food. Whether it’s turkey legs, cotton candy or corn dogs – trash goes along with ready-to-go food. But a collaboration between vendors and local organizations at the Western Montana Fair is working to divert that waste away from landfills.
Aug 15, 2025•4 min
Powell County fined after contractor drove an off-road vehicle in the Blackfoot River
A weed-control contractor stirred up outrage after driving a utility terrain vehicle nearly nine miles through the Blackfoot River. Powell County has been fined $500. Conservation groups are now calling on officials to pursue criminal charges.
Aug 15, 2025•2 min
Legos and a trash-eating shark bring Missoula robotics students top honors
A Missoula middle-school Lego engineering team won national recognition this summer for their big idea to clean the Earth’s oceans. MTPR’s Austin Amestoy visited the students at the Western Montana Fair to learn more.
Aug 14, 2025•2 min
Health insurance navigator funding slashed as big changes loom
Montanans who need help shopping for health insurance or enrolling in Medicaid may soon be on their own. The Trump administration is cutting federal funding for a service that helped people get insured.
Aug 14, 2025•1 min
Aquatic odyssey: Missoula swimmer makes waves crossing Flathead Lake
Last month, a Missoula native became the youngest woman to swim the length of Flathead Lake. The 28 mile swim took Bella Seagrave from Somers to Polson.
Aug 14, 2025•2 min
July's weather didn't play by the rules. August may go rogue, too, forecasters say
This summer’s weather has been a far cry from the scorching heat, bone-dry conditions and smokey air Montanans have come to expect this time of year. Meteorologists say more of this cooler, wetter weather is likely this month.
Aug 14, 2025•2 min
UFP Edge workers brace for layoffs as Missoula-area plant closes
A Missoula-area factory that produces trim and siding for houses is set to lay off more than 100 employees next month. It’s the third closure of its kind in the county in the last year.
Aug 12, 2025•2 min
In Anaconda, a sense of relief after arrest of murder suspect
Montana law enforcement Friday arrested a man suspected of killing four people in Anaconda. The news brought some relief to residents of the tight-knit community.
Aug 11, 2025•2 min
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